HSE experts probe fairground ride

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A fairground ride on which five people were injured in an accident is to be dismantled and taken to a specialist laboratory for detailed examination.

The Hellraiser ride was operating at a bonfire at Melford Hall, Long Melford, Suffolk, on Friday night.

A car came off the ride and one of the injured, a 14-year-old girl, had to be freed by firefighters.

The ride will be taken to the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) main laboratory at Buxton in Derbyshire.

Charity event

HSE staff have spent the weekend at Melford Hall examining the ride.

An ambulance service spokesman said: "The ride appeared to have either gone off its rail or off its central hinge.

"There were about 30 people on the ride when it came to a sudden halt.

"Five people were taken to hospital and they were aged between 17 and 25. Four were female and there was one 17-year-old male."

Paramedics described the ride as a ground-level spinning machine.

About 10,000 people were at the 39th Big Night Out - an annual event at Melford Hall which raises money for charity.